Houston Defender: September 9, 2021.

Black nurses exhausted CONFRONTING THE COVID SURGE, NURSING SHORTAGE & PERSONAL IMPACT.

INFOCUS

FEATURE

DR. JOSEPH GATHE

The nationally-renown physician confronts COVID misinformation with COVID facts.

Volume 90, issue 45 September 9, 2021

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ROLAND MARTIN

The Jack Yates media legend starts his own Black television network.

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DN To The POINT

Gov. Greg Abbott and his colleagues lack heart when promoting abortion legislation. KXAN

Message from the Managing Editor what they claim to be mass voter fraud in the It’s almost fall, y’all. So you know that means 2020 elections, despite there being no evidence we have to roll back the clock. Well, here in Texas of voter fraud. Dems need to keep up the fight we got a jump start - rolling back the clock 50 – keep the pressure on Congress to begin acting years. I know we do everything big in Texas. I on voting rights legislation, including the John didn’t know that included screwing up. But here Lewis Voting Rights Act. Keep up the pressure, we are….a group of white men (with sprinkles of period. Oh, and somebody get Stacey Abrams on white women co-signing this foolishness) telling the line to come to Texas to rev up voters like she ReShonda Tate women what to do with their bodies. This isn’t a did in Atlanta. We need to show the GOP that all Billingsley debate on abortion. I’m not wading in that pool. the tactics in the world still wont work.

Take a look at the above picture. This is about having that group (where less than 10 of them can even get Gimme a Facebook break pregnant), deciding what’s best for a pregnant woman. It’s Facebook has apologized after a video featuring Black an all-out assault on women’s rights. When the penalty for men was classified as a video featuring “primates” by the aborting after rape is more severe than the penalty for rape, social network’s artificial intelligence software, the latest of that’s when you know it’s a war on women. Here’s a thought. several examples of anti-Black bias in A.I. and facial recogVasectomies are reversible. Make men have vasectomies and nition. Several Facebook users, after watching a Daily Mail you won’t have to deal with abortions. Problem solved. But video of Black men being harassed by a white man, were yeah, look at the picture again. You think those dudes would reportedly sent an automated message asking if they would do anything like that???? It’s simply insane that you would like to “keep seeing videos about Primates.” After being mandate that a 15-year-old girl should have a baby, even in made aware of the issue, the company disabled the A.I. fearape or incest, no matter what she wants, but we should “re- ture responsible for the message and is investigating it for spect what she wants” when it comes to wearing a mask. The errors. Studies have revealed racial biases embedded into a logic is baffling. #StayOutMyWomb number of A.I. and facial recognition systems, specifically that the technology is not designed to identify Black facial Governor gone mad features as accurately as white features, leading to instances Speaking of baffling….Gov. Greg Abbott is trying real of misidentification and even wrongful imprisonment. As hard to appeal to the crazy-Trumpsters because he was someone who just got out of Facebook jail because that arasked, “What about women who were raped who want to tificial inteligence takes stuff out of context, FB needs to go have an abortion?” This man actually said that’s not going back to the techonological drawing board. Because “Sorry” to be an issue because “Texas is working to eliminate rap- doesn’t fix these mistakes. ists.” Eliminate. Rapists. While you’re at it, can you eliminate murderers, thieves, child abusers, these fat cells on my hips? In this week’s paper I mean, let’s get it all! (Insert serious eye roll). Oh, and let’s  Black nurses are exhausted and speaking out. not forget Senate Bill 1. It’s law now. The Dems put up a good  Roland Martin is bringing the Black with his own Black fight to stall it, but the fact remains, we don’t come out to TV Network. vote in midterms so the legislative deck is stacked against  Sports reporter Jodie Jiles profiles a Yates football star us. Now, there’s all kinds of efforts to try to keep folks – primaking plays. marily people of color from going to the polls. Thankfully, before Abbott could even put his name on the dotted line On the web signing the bill into law, nearly two dozen organizations filed  How Houston is helping New Orleans after Ida. lawsuits. Who knows if it’ll work. But the GOP has been on  Simone Biles’ message to her haters. a mission to stop the expansion of voter rights following  Sports Reporter Terrance Harris’s exclusive with the 3 Kings.

War on women

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN News Mayor Sylvester Turner was recently appointed to the Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Holland Jones a 20-year law enforcement veteran and licensed attorney, has been named Kemah’s next police chief.

New GOP voting restrictions signed into law Associated Press

Students sing “The Eyes of Texas.” UT Austin

NAACP, STUDENTS FILE FEDERAL CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINT OVER UT-AUSTIN’S ‘EYES OF TEXAS’ Texas Tribune

The Texas chapter of the NAACP, along with the civil rights organization’s University of Texas at Austin chapter and a group of anonymous students, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights alleging UT-Austin is creating a “hostile environment” for Black students by continuing to play the “The Eyes of Texas” alma mater song at university events.

The complaint alleges that Black students have been denied full benefits of Longhorn student life because the song is an official part of the university, “despite its racially offensive origin, context and meaning.” The song premiered at a minstrel show in the early 1900s where students likely wore blackface. Despite pushback, university officials have said they are going to keep the song as their alma mater, concluding in a report issued earlier this year

that the song “had no racist intent.”

The complaint says the university has failed to respond to racial harassment against Black students and others who oppose the song, violating Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and argues the university’s decision to create a separate marching band for students who do not want to play “The Eyes of Texas” violates equal protections afforded under the Fourteenth Amendment.

This past spring, the UT-Austin Butler School of Music announced the creation of a new band in which students would not be required to play the song after members of the Longhorn Band refused to play it last fall due to its history and origins. Students in the Longhorn band are required to play the song.

Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, said the groups initially tried to work with university leaders to get them

to do away with the song, but were unsuccessful. They decided to file the complaint because students said the campus climate surrounding the song had gotten increasingly tense throughout the spring semester.

Al-Nasser Lawal, a UT-Austin senior and president of the UT-Austin chapter of the NAACP, said Black student groups also met with administrators to discuss their concerns with the song without success.

“As Black students, we kind of feel as if it’s not like our voices are heard,” Lawal said in an interview. “The main objective of the administration and the campus is just to appease their wealthy donors so that they can continue to get that funding, and that they don’t really have our best interests at heart.”

They argue the song is unavoidable as it is sung after sporting events, at graduation and from the UT Tower bells every evening.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed an elections overhaul bill into law that adds more voting restrictions in the booming state, after Democrats spent months protesting what they say are efforts to weaken minority turnout and preserve the GOP’s eroding dominance.

The bill signing again underlined the hard right turn Texas Republicans made this year, including a new state law that took effect last week banning most abortions. Texas is among at least 18 states that have enacted new voting restrictions since the 2020 election, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The laws are part of a national GOP campaign, including in Florida, Georgia and Arizona, to tighten voting laws in the name of security, partly driven

by Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen.

Opponents did not wait for Abbott’s signature to begin filing lawsuits against the new Texas law known as Senate Bill 1. The American Civil Liberties Union, minority rights groups and disability advocates are part of a broad coalition that filed separate lawsuits last week in federal court in Texas, accusing Republican lawmakers of violating the federal Voting Rights Act and intentionally discriminating against minorities.

Some changes squarely take aim at the Houston area, where President Joe Biden carried the surrounding county of 1.6 million voters by a 13-point margin.The new law: • Bans 24-hour polling places and drive-thru voting.

• Says any elections official who tries sending an application to someone who doesn’t request one could face criminal charges.

• Gives more movement to partisan poll watchers, a move Democrats argue could lead to voter intimidation.

In response to new voting restrictions in GOP-controlled statehouses, Democrats in Congress want to pass new federal voting rights protections at the federal level but have been unable to overcome opposition from Senate Republicans.

Abbott signed the bill 100 days after Democrats kicked off a summer of last-ditch maneuvers by walking out of the state Capitol to temporarily block the measure. That was followed by more than 50 Democrats flying to Washington, D.C. in July to thwart the bill for a second time, which led to Republicans issuing civil arrest warrants in an effort to compel Democrats to return, although no one wound up being forced to come back.

But the protests did not wind up significantly changing the bill, underscoring Republicans’ determination to pass the measure and the strength of their commanding majority in the Texas Capitol.

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DN News

Washington seeks class action suit over unemployment

By Von Jiles

President Joe Biden talks as he tours a neighborhood impacted by Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, La. at left is Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne -Criswell. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

FEMA ends policy that denies Blacks disaster relief funds Defender News Service

The Federal Emergency Management Agency says it will end a policy that prevented many Black families from securing federal relief funds after natural disasters such as Hurricane Ida, which has wreaked havoc across the nation this week.

The Washington Post published a detailed account of FEMA’s policies in July, noting that the agency regularly denied claims to Black families who live on land that is passed down informally between generations, a policy that dates to the Jim Crow era, when local laws largely restricted the rights of people of color. Previously, FEMA required proof of land ownership in the form of a deed or will, but about a third of Black-owned land in the South is held via the informal system.

The new policies will reduce those barriers and allow Black Americans to provide a range of ownership documentation to secure individual federal assistance after natural disasters. The shift will apply retroactively to Aug. 23 to account for damage from Hurricane Ida and flooding in Tennessee, and the Post noted that there is legislation working its way through Congress to mandate the agency reevaluate claims going back several years.

“These new changes reduce the barriers to entry for our Individual Assistance program and will help us to provide more equitable disaster support to all survivors, specifically for underserved populations,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement. “Heading into the peak of hurricane season with 12 named Atlantic storms to date, and

as wildfires strengthen out west, FEMA continues to put equity at the forefront of how we support survivors before, during and after disasters.”

The agency will also begin sending inspectors to homes if people aren’t able to verify ownership rather than use an appeal system for rejections by mail.

The Department of Agriculture said in a 2017 report that the informal system, known as heir’s property, was a leading cause of involuntary land loss among Black families who aren’t able to secure federal loans and grants. The Post reported that FEMA denies about 2% of disaster claims nationally due to issues with land titles, but the rate is about double in communities that are majority Black.

About a third of FEMA claims have been rejected in some parts of the Deep South.

“What we’re trying to do is make sure that we understand each individual situation is unique and that we need to not have a one-size-fits-all approach,” Criswell told NBC News this week.

The shift comes just days after Ida left a trail of destruction across much of the South after it made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm, packing 150 mph winds that walloped the region and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. The remnants of Ida later carved through the Northeast, causing wind and flooding damage in New York and spawning tornadoes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Initial damage estimates are already north of $18 billion.

Attorney Craig Washington, former U. S. Congressman, is suing Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Workforce Commission and the State of Texas. Dickerson vs.

Texas was filed as a complaint with a request that it be certified as a class action suit. If the class action lawsuit is certified, everyone who qualified as of May 17 for unemployment compensation could join the suit.

On May 17, 2021, Governor Abbott sent a letter to the U. S. Department of Labor that Texas would opt out of further federal unemployment compensation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, effective June 26, 2021.

This included the $300 weekly unemployment supplement from the Federal Pandemic unemployment compensation program.

“The Texas economy is booming and employers are hiring in communities throughout the state,” said Governor Abbott in a May 2021 press release. “According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the number of job openings in Texas is almost identical to the number of Texans who are receiving unemployment benefits. That assessment does not include the voluminous jobs that typically are not listed, like construction and restaurant jobs. In fact, there are nearly 60 percent more jobs open (and listed) in Texas today than there was in February 2020, the month before the

Craig Washington

Pandemic hit Texas.”

According to Washington, under the Texas Constitution the Governor does not have the authority to stop unemployment benefits, only the legislature can set policy. And the legislature has delegated that power to make policy changes to the Texas Workforce Commission, who has not issued a decision.

“This is a situation where the least, the last and the lost are the first people pushed off the ship.

As a result of this new strain of COVID-19, the letter contends that the economy is thriving but it is a different story now, “ stated Washington. “Numbers are going back up, the strain is more viral and children are getting sick.”

Currently, Washington is still awaiting action on his request for certification of the lawsuit as a class action. A judge is expected to rule on the request soon.

VOLUME 90 - NUMBER 45 - SEPTEMBER 9, 2021 Publisher | CEO Sonceria Messiah-Jiles

Managing Editor ReShonda Tate

Chief Development Officer Emelda Douglas

Associate Editor

Strategic Alllance Clyde Jiles

Education Reporter

Creative Director Michael Grant

Sports

Photographers Jimmie Aggison

Aswad Walker Laura Onyeneho Terrance Harris Jodie B. Jiles

The Defender newspaper is published by the Houston Defender Newspaper Inc. and audited by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM). Only digital subscriptions are available at: www.defendernetwork.com/subscribe No paper subscriptions available. All materials covered by 2020 copyright. No materials herein may be reproduced without the written permission of the Publisher. 713-663-6996 | P.O. Box 8005, Houston, Tx 77288

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DN News

WE’RE HIRING Bus Operators and Mechanics

Millard House II

HISD Superintendent to host town halls to seek community feedback Defender News Service

The Houston Independent School Ditrict Board of Trustrees will host a series of community town hall meetings with newly appointed HISD Superintendent

Millard House II. House will be available to listen to input from the community about the district’s future and learn about key issues that are important to stakeholders.

Sterling High School (11625 Martindale) Virtual Meeting https://bit.ly/3kFvf2z

Sept. 15

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 20

6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Heights High School (413 East 13th)

Sept. 22

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Chavez High School (8501 Howard)

Sept. 23

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Carnegie Vanguard High School (1501 Taft)

Sept.27

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Westbury High School (11911 Chimney Rock)

Sept. 28

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Bellaire High School (5100 Maple, Bellaire, TX)

Sept. 30

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Sharpstown High School (7504 Bissonnet)

Oct. 1

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Lamar High School (3325 Westheimer)

Oct. 4

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Washington High School (4204 Yale)

Oct. 6

5:30 - 6:30 p.m.

TSU Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice receives $250k Defender News Service

The Robert D. Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University has received $250,000 from JP Morgan Chase to help Houston and its most vulnerable neighborhoods deal with the disproportionate impact of an increased pace of natural disasters.

“Our work will focus on hurricanes, floods, and pandemics,” said Dr. Robert Bullard, distinguished professor of Urban Planning and Environment Policy at TSU and founding director of the Center for Environmental and

Climate Justice. “We will learn from the cumulative hardships these communities continue to experience, determine what is needed to evacuate or stay in place and who should disseminate this valuable information.”

The grant will establish a virtual information hub that will help Houston residents living in neighborhoods that are vulnerable to recurring flooding. TSU is working collaboratively with those communities to create their own disaster preparedness plans. The work will include information for COVID19 prevention.

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DN InFocus

Black nurses exhausted CONFRONTING THE COVID SURGE, NURSING SHORTAGE & PERSONAL IMPACT

By ASWAD WALKER

One troublesome aspect of this fourth COVID surge is the alarming report that U.S. hospitals are experiencing a severe nursing shortage, a fact that exacerbates an already perilous situation when you consider the enormous role nurses play in patient care and recovery.

But what has been ignored from COVID’s 2020 introduction to our present COVID situation is the pandemic’s impact on Black nurses.

The Defender spoke with Black nurses and healthcare professionals to see how this nursing shortage is playing out on the pandemic frontlines from their perspective.

offering nurses much more.

“Nurses are making $97/hour and we work 12-hour shifts. And if you’re willing to go down the Brownsville, TX, near the Texas-Mexico border, or you’re willing to go IS NURSE SHORTAGE REAL? up to New York, you can be paid as much “There is a shortage of nurses, as $150/hour.” because some are leaving the Jefferson added that nurses profession, while some become facing massive education or travel nurses, relocating health-related bills see such to where they can make a moves as a way to pay them FOURTH COVID SURGE themselves have been exposed better reimbursement for off in a short amount of When asked if this most or are COVID positive. So, the hours of work,” said Dr. time. recent COVID surge is difnot only is it affecting the Cleve James, an internist here Terri Teketeke Dicker- ferent than previous ones, community, it’s affecting in Houston who sees patients son, a mental health nurse, Jayme Patrick, a registered nurses, as well.” in his clinic and area hospitals. adjunct instructor at College of nurse who works in the Patrick says this fourth “Whether it’s being accelerated Dr. Cleve James the Mainland teaching in the cer- ICU of one of the city’s acute COVID surge has brought because of COVID, I don’t know. tified nursing program, says the care hospitals, said, “One a wave of young people into But there’s a shortage and it’s affected the nurse “shortage” is less because nurses are hundred percent, we’ve been the ICU. care of patients.” leaving and more because the seeing a surge like none other.” Terri Teketeke “Our youngest patient, I believe Dickerson Dr. Lola Denise Jefferson, founder, presi- patient load is rising.

“In our hospital our was 26 years old, on a breathing dent emeritus and executive director of the “The way it was whole entire second floor machine. And I’m seeing this as a Fort Bend County Black Nurses Association, explained to me was has been made into an ICU for crit- 31-year-old woman. The younger commusays the nursing shortage means those on we need additional ical care patients that are COVID nity is greatly impacted by this variant. And duty are tired from working extra shifts. nurses so we can see positive,” said Patrick. “So, yes, that was one of the reasons why I decided “Once in a while, it’s fun, the extra money, more people because this fourth surge and the nurse to get vaccinated myself.” but working extra shifts is almost a necessity being a mental health shortage have affected my workDr. James, a millennial, who says the and you feel bad if you don’t work extra,” nurse, there’s a lot of load greatly. vast majority of current COVID patients said Jefferson.” people who need help “Usually in the ICU, we get two very are unvaccinated, sees exactly what Patrick She added that experienced nurses make and we can only give so Dr. Lola Denise critically ill patients. At this point, we’re sees, more young people contracting and Jefferson between $35-$45/ hour. However, because much help in 24 hours,” getting three patients, which is a big deal. even dying of COVID. they are in such demand, hospitals are shared Dickerson.

We’re down so many nurses because they “I’ve had patients who have expired

(died) and they’re younger than me. They BLACK NURSE IMPACTS had no medical issues. The only reason they Even with all the media coverage the expired is because they didn’t have the vac- pandemic has received, little notice is being cine,” he declared. paid to its impact on Black nurses, except This rise in deaths, especially of young by the nurses themselves. adults, and so much of the public’s nonPatrick says the decision to get vaccompliance with COVID safety proto- cinated played out differently for Black cols, has impacted nurses personally and nurses. collectively.

“On my unit, we (the Black nurses) were “I can say that my anxiety is a bit high the very last ones to get vaccinated, and and I am experiencing burnout,” shared that was kind of a running joke. But just Dickerson. “But I keep going considering our history in this nation, we because I just feel being on just had that extra layer to fight through the job is what I need to mentally,” said Patrick, who views be doing at this time.”

COVID misinformation circulatCollectively, Pating within the Black community rick says nurses are as “Black-on-Black crime.” suffering from “sym“I truly believe that misinformapathy fatigue” and tion is killing us, even where the “decision fatigue,” i.e.

Tuskegee experiment is concerned. impaired decision-makNearly 80% of Black people believe our ing ability.

Jayme Patrick people were injected with syphilis, and

that’s not true. They already had syphilis.

They weren’t treated at the end of the experiment when they found out that this disease was completely treatable.”

What Jefferson said is “killing” Black nurses is seeing the care, or lack thereof, Black COVID patients receive.

“When we see Black COVID patients come in, they get the same treatment, but maybe not necessarily. As Black people, we’re still at the back of the line,” said Jefferson, who pointed out that Black nurses seek to make up the slack with extra care.

“We nurses take care of Black people. We try to give them everything that is owed to them or that they may need. We kind of foresee what their needs are because we’re

coming from the same Black culture.”

While providing this extra care, Jefferson said Black nurses still have to contend with inequalities that existed pre-COVID, including being paid less than their counterparts, yet receiving heavier duties, and being promoted less frequently.

“We’re on the floor, but we’re not in charge. But when it comes time to do something, they know Black nurses know their stuff. And they’re also working a lot of hours, unfortunately. Also, economically, Black nurses are taking care of their families plus cousin Pookie. And since Pookie and them often aren’t working due to the pandemic, they’re having to help that way.

So, it’s really bad on us.”

Get Black nurses’ messages to Black people re: COVID, school year predictions and steps nurses take to maintain their mental health.

8 | September 9, 2021 |

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DN InFocus FOCUS SOCIAL

Dr. Joseph Gathe Jr. ADD MORE CUTLINE HERE.

DR. JOSEPH GATHE JR. ON COVID MISINFORMATION VS COVID FACTS

By Von Jiles and Aswad Walker

Dr. Joseph Gathe Jr. is a medical field giant living among us. Yet, Gathe is as committed and passionate about spreading expert, credible information on the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccinations and mask-wearing, as he is down-to-earth.

Gathe’s educational and professional credentials are extensive, as is his litany of awards and leadership appointments. This Strake Jesuit College Preparatory graduate was the first African American Chief Resident at St. Luke’s Hospital in 1984 and has been in private practice in Houston since 1986, where he maintains one of the largest private practice clinics for HIV patients in the county.

But Gathe is less concerned about the public recognizing his name as he is about people taking this pandemic seriously.

Here, Dr. Gathe confronts COVID misinformation with COVID facts.

DON’T WANT TO BE AN UNTESTED VACCINE GUINEA PIG

The Moderna vaccine, which is one of the MRNA vaccines that we have, was studied and manufactured by an Afri-

can American woman, for the disease, but we don’t Dr. Kizzy Corbett. So, want to take it because we THIS IS PART 1 OF the Moderna vaccine is don’t trust the government.

A 4-PART SERIES from a Black woman. If That’s just like the shareFROM DR. GATHE. you think a Black woman croppers back in Tuskegee is going to come and so saying, “I’m not taking something wrong for our community, I that penicillin. I know nothing about that,” would challenge you to say, not so much. which is going to cure them. So, it’s actually And I would also say, when you want a job the exact opposite. done, you call a Black woman to take care of business. And that’s what Dr. Kizzy did. I DON’T TRUST “THEM,” THE U.S. WHAT ABOUT TUSKEGEE?

What we have now is actually the reverse of Tuskegee. Tuskegee is where they took a group of sharecropper men that had syphilis and decided not to treat themw with penicillin. They didn’t give them the penicillin. They watched them essentially get sick and potentially die because they didn’t give them the treatment. This (COVID pandemic) is the reverse. We’re watching people get sick and die. Here’s the treatment, which is the vaccine. But now, you don’t want to take the “penicillin.” So, you’re doing exactly what Tuskegee was trying to do, not giving you that medicine.

It’s the exact opposite. Here is the antidote

MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT

What’s different about the time now and them (Tuskegee) is we do have seats at the table. Dr. Kizzy Corbett has a seat at the table. I have a seat at the table. We’ve got people in the FDA committees looking at this stuff. I yell and scream at the pharmaceutical companies to make sure they’re doing the right thing for us. Back then, we didn’t have any seats. We have seats at the table that a lot of what you hear and what comes out is vetted by people who look like us.

THE VACCINE DESTROYS FERTILITY AND GETS IN OUR DNA

I don’t even know where that even came from: “If I take this, I can’t have kids. It’s

going to mess my sperm up and get into my DNA.” We have, as our genetic structure, something called DNA. The vaccine is RNA. We don’t have a genetic structure of RNA that controls us, so to speak. So, the MRNA vaccine can’t get into our genetic profiles because it’s not the same thing. And once you get the vaccine, that MRNA is gone in 48 hours. So, there is no way it’s going to get into your genetic material. There’s no way it’s going to get into your fertility. There’s no way it’s going to make women unable to have kids. So, that is just absolutely false, and we can say, that’s not an issue at all.

THE VACCINE MAKES PEOPLE SICK

Would you walk around the hospital with me? I’ll show you what sick is. Sick is the 40 people I’ve already seen today who have COVID, who can’t breathe. That’s sick.

These vaccinations, if you get anything, there’s a little bit of a headache, maybe a little bit of fever, maybe a little bit of sore arm. But really, nothing at all that is anywhere near the COVID symptoms that you can get if you don’t take the vaccine.

September 9, 2021 |

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DN Feature BLACK STAR NETWORK

Roland Martin starts new Black TV network NNPA

Even though many other TV networks charge viewers to see content, Black Star On the evening of September 2, jourNetwork will not. nalist Roland Martin, the host of #Ro Facebook.com/BlackStarNetwork “A lot of our people simply cannot landMartinUnfiltered, announced an  YouTube.com/BlackStarNetwork aff ord to pay for a streaming service. over-the-top media (or OTT) network  Instagram.com/BlackStarNetwork We purposely chose to keep this free. that will broadcast directly to viewers  Twitter.com/BlkStarNetworkon twitter We purposely chose for people to be free via the internet and a phone app. able to access our content — that’s what we’ve done with this The new Black-owned network, Black Star Network (curated show as well, ” Martin said referring to #RolandMartinUnfi lby Roland S. Martin), will feature new shows and live stream tered.

Th e network will be ad supported.

Black news and information focused on news, politics, techMartin’s show #RolandMartinUnfilnology and culture. tered has been streaming live on YouThe first interview to debut on Black Star Network will be with Tube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitlegendary civil rights attorney Fred Gray, on September 4. Gray, ter with the support of the show’s 90, was the legal mastermind behind several civil rights victories Bring the Funk Fan Club donations and an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. which have totaled over a million Martin announced his new network on the third anniversary dollars in the last 18 months. of #RolandMartinUnfiltered, the first daily digital show specifiMartin recently announced cally targeting African American audiences five days a week. The the construction of a new studio show has enjoyed expansive audience growth averaging 20 to 30 space in Washington, D.C. close million views a month. to Th e White House.

Unlike several other Black content related news and informaThe veteran journalist, who tion platforms, Black Star Network is 100% Black-owned.

Black Star Network will be available on all platforms including hails from Houston, also has AppleTV, Roku, Samsung, XBox and Amazon FireTV. The new plans to announce Black Star network’s content will also be carried on a phone app for Apple Network’s 24-hour streaming and Android phones at Black Star Network. The network’s web- channel to be launched during the first quarter of 2022. site, BlackStarNetwork.com is also now live.

BLACK STAR NETWORK’S SOCIAL MEDIA ADDRESSES

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DN Sports

5

Prairie View QB Jawon Pass, a graduate transfer from Louisville, has been named SWAC Newcomer of the Week after accumulating over 400 yards of total offense, including 354 yards passing and

Sports Briefs Cynthia Coopers makes WNBA Top 25 TSU women’s basketball coach and former Houston Comets great Cynthia Cooper was Cynthia selected among Coopers the Top 25 best WNBA players of all-time in a campaign known as “The W25” to celebrate the league’s 25th anniversary.

Cooper’s Comets teammates Sheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson also made The W25 list.

Taylor given the nod In one of the worst kept secrets, first-year Texans coach confirmed this week that veteran Tyrod quarterback Taylor Tyrod Taylor will be the starter while unhappy and troubled Deshaun Watson – the onetime franchise quarterback – will essentially be on the third team and not even expected to suit up for Sunday’s season opener against Jacksonville.

The Texans are still looking for a suitable trade partner to unload Watson.

TSU’s Nugent recognized for second straight week Prairie View soccer standout Andrea Nugent has been honored by the SWAC for two straight Andrea weeks. This past Nugent week Nugent received SWAC Offensive/Defensive Player of the Week recognition. The junior defender assisted in limiting Northwestern State to just five shots and no goals. Nugent also scored the game-winning goal for Prairie View in the 78th minute against Northwestern State in their soccer match.

Texas A&M running back and Fort Bend Marshall product Devon Achane ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 10.3 yards per carry in the Aggies win over Kent State.

Houston-area NFL players to watch

By Terrance Harris

Each year, the Houston area seems to stock all 32 NFL teams with some tremendous talent. That will be no different this year as the 2021 NFL season gets set to kick off this weekend. There are some rookies from the area getting set to make their mark and several veterans looking to improve on what they did a year ago. Here are five Houston-area NFL players to keep an eye on as the season unfolds:

CEEDEE LAMB

Position: Wide receiver NFL Team: Dallas Cowboys College: Oklahoma High School: Foster Here is the deal: CeeDee Lamb is coming off an impressive rookie season in which he caught 69 passes for 935 yards and five touchdowns. Now it will be interesting to see if his freakish athletic ability is able to take it to the next level. All of the ingredients are there to make this a special season for Lamb. He will share the field with veteran receiver Amari Cooper, which almost assures that both receivers will see single coverage. Quarterback Dak Prescott is back and healthy and running back Ezekiel Elliott is back in the right frame of mind. The only question is if there are enough balls to keep them all happy?

JALEN HURTS

Position: Quarterback NFL Team: Philadelphia Eagles College: Oklahoma High School: Channelview Here is the deal: There probably won’t be a more scrutinized player this season than Jalen Hurts. After being given the ball during the last four games of last season, it’s now his rock after the Eagles traded away traded away Carson Wentz. But without question Hurts has to prove himself as the Eagles haven’t made a big investment in the second-year player with the team opening flirting with the idea of trading for Deshaun Watson.

Hurts has quite a bit of work to do after completing 52 percent of his passes as a rookie, throwing six touchdowns and four interceptions while getting sacked 13 times during a 1-3 stint for the Eagles.

XAVIEN HOWARD

Position: Cornerback NFL Team: Miami Dolphins College: Baylor High School: Wheatley Here is the deal: Xavien Howard is coming off a stellar season in which he had an NFL-best 10 interceptions and 20 passes defended en route to earning first-team All-Pro. Without question, Howard has established himself as one of the premier corners in the league.

Earlier this summer, the 2016 secondround draft pick was demanding a trade after his once top cornerback salary had dropped to sixth, but a restructured deal seems to have smoothed things over.

MIKE EVANS

Position: Wide receiver NFL Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers College: Texas A&M High School: Galveston Ball Here is the deal: Mike Evans has been one of the best receivers in the NFL for a while now, but now he has added Super Bowl champion to his list of superlatives. That’s what happens when you have Tom Brady throwing to you.

Evans caught 70 passes for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is the first player in NFL history to have seven consecutive 1,000-yard receiving yards since entering the league. It will be interesting if the eighthyear pro can make it eight straight as he and Buccaneers look to repeat as champs.

ROSS BLACKLOCK

Position: Defensive tackle NFL Team: Houston Texans College: TCU High School: Elkins Here is the deal: There is no other way to put it other than Ross Blacklock failed to live up to expectations last season after being drafted in the second round by his hometown team. The most memorable moment for Blacklock came in Week 2 when in the fourth quarter he was ejected from the Baltimore Ravens game for throwing a punch. He finished with just 14 tackles, which included one for loss, two quarterback hits and no sacks. But Blacklock seems to be poised for a breakthrough campaign this season. He has had an impressive training camp and seems to have earned a spot in the three-technique rotation in defensive coordinator Lovie Smith’s 4-3 scheme.

September 9, 2021 |

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Sports YATES SENIOR ATHLETE

RANDY MASTERS MAKES PLAYS

By Jodie B. Jiles

Yates senior wide receiver/cornerback Randy “BoBo” Master is a 6’1 180 lbs. playmaker that is destined to make a play wherever you put him on the field. Previously at Shadow Creek, Masters created over-the-top offense with current Baylor quarterback commit Kyron Drones, and made his impact on special teams too. Now, as a Yates Lion, Masters does it all.

In Yates’ home opener, Masters took off for an 80-yard touchdown reception, and then scored a 90-yard interception return touchdown the next week against Madison. The young man can go hard anytime, anywhere.

Masters’ athleticism and abilities to break down tacklers in the open field make him something special for Yates this season, and it will be interesting to see his game develop as the go-to guy moving forward.

The Defender spoke with Masters after the Madison game to discuss his style of play, athleticism and keys to success so far.

Yates’ Masters breaks away for a 90 yard interception touchdown return in a 45-7 win over Madison. Credit: Jimmie Aggison

STYLE OF PLAY (OFFENSE)

Masters: “I feel like I am a playmaker that can score when you get the ball in my hands.”

STYLE OF PLAY (DEFENSE)

Masters: “I can play anywhere on the field, from corner to safety. Wherever the ball is, I am there.”

PLAYMAKING

Masters: “It is all about my work ethic and will to make plays anywhere on the field.”

KEYS TO SUCCESS

Masters: “We got to trust each other in practice every day and continue to get better.”

ABOUT RANDY MASTERS

Instagram: @bobo10k_ Players He Studies: DeAndre Hopkins, Jalen Ramsey and Julio Jones Favorite Musicians: No Cap, Kodack Black and Youngboy Favorite Food: Seafood and shrimp

YATES JUNIOR DEFENSIVE END KAMERON BIZOR IS ACTIVE

By Jodie B. Jiles

Jack Yates High School junior defensive end Kameron Bizor has been racking up his stats in his first six quarters of this infant 2021-22 football season.

The North Shore High School transfer

shined individually with four sacks, a forced fumble and fumble recovery in Yates’ season opening loss to Tomball High School. Then, in Yates’ 45-7 victory over Madison High School, Bizor added four additional sacks and two tackles for loss despite only playing one

half due to a minor injury.

The Defender spoke with Bizor after Yates’ win over Madison to discuss his style of play, intensity, keys to success and more.

For Full Story Visit www.defendernetwork.com

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DEFENDER NETWORK

DN Education

PRESIDENT BIDEN ISSUES EXECUTIVE ORDER TO HELP STRENGTHEN HBCUS Defender News Service

President Joe Biden has announced his Executive Order to advance educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

“HBCUs have a proud history and legacy of achievement. In the face of discrimination against Black Americans by many institutions of higher education, HBCUs created pathways to opportunity and educational excellence for Black students throughout our Nation.,” a statement from the White House read.

“That legacy continues. Today, more than 100 HBCUs, located in 19 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, serve nearly 300,000 students annually. HBCUs vary in size and academic focus and serve a range of diverse students and communities in urban, rural, and suburban settings.”

One of the main goals of President Biden’s initiative is to break down barriers and expand pathways for HBCUs to access

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Federal funding and programs, particularly in areas of research and development, innovation, and financial and other support to students.

“HBCUs play a vital role in providing educational opportunities, scholarly growth, and a sense of community for students. HBCU graduates are barrier-breaking public servants, scientists, artists, lawyers, engineers, educators, business owners, and leaders,” the release continued.

“For generations, HBCUs have been advancing intergenerational economic mobility for Black families and communities, developing vital academic research, and making our country more prosperous and equitable.

HBCUs are proven means of advancement for people of all ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds, especially Black Americans.

HBCUs produce nearly 20 percent of all Black college graduates and 25 percent of Black graduates who earn degrees in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math.”

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They are a legacy. It’s the place you become, where you’re uplifted by past generations. It’s your family’s history and newfound family’s future. It’s your HBCU. That’s why Xfinity recognizes the legacy, community, and importance of HBCUs. And now that gatherings are a little different, it’s time to reconnect to the culture. Just say, “HBCU,” into your Xfinity Voice Remote to experience more HBCU. Visit xfinity.com/blackexperience to learn more.

Restrictions apply. Not available in all areas. Requires Xfinity TV with X1 and compatible TV box or Xfinity Flex and Xfinity Internet. ©2021 Comcast. All Rights Reserved.

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HBCUs are more than an education